Door hinge



Dec. 9, 1952 M. J. GOULOOZE 2,620,508

DOOR HINGE Filed May 7, 1947 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 FIE-1 v JNVEIyTOR. MflET/NJ Gou .0025

Dec. 9, 1952 M. J. GOULOOZE 2,620,508

DOOR HINGE Filed May 7, 1947 2 smams smzm 2 JNVENTOR. NflET/N \J-GOULOOZE W&.Gokn/L A TTOE/VEY Patented Dec. 9, 1952 DOOR HINGE Martin J.Goulooze, Grand Rapids, Mich assignor to Nash-Kelvinator Corporation,Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Maryland Application May 7, 1947,Serial No. 746,543

4 Claims.

This invention relates generally to refrigerator cabinets and moreparticularly to door hinges therefor.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator doorhinge leaf of a character such that screws for attaching the hinge arehidden from view.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved refrigeratordoor hinge leaf which may be of reduced width with corresponding savingin material without affecting the efficiency of the hinge.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved refrigeratordoor hinge leaf of a character to reinforce the door structurally.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearlyshown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a refrigerator cabinet embodying features ofthe present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, enlarged sectional view of the cabinet, takenalong the line 22 of Figure 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the cabinet, taken along the line3--3 of Figure 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a part of my door hinge;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a part of the cabinet;

Fig. v6 is an enlarged, fragmentary view of the refrigerator cabinet atone of the door hinges;

Fig. '7 is a cross sectional view of the refrigerator cabinet, takenalong the line ll of Figure 6, and

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view of-one of the door hinges, takenalong the line 8-8 of Figure 7.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, the numeraldesignates generally, a refrigerator cabinet having a storagecompartment closed at the front thereof by an access door 22. The accessdoor 22 is hinged to one side of the cabinet proper 20 by my'improvedhinges, designated generally by the numeral 26, there being three ofthese hinges in the present instance.

The cabinet 20 comprises an outer metal casing 28 and an inner metalliner 30. I-nterposed between the outer casing 28 and the liner 30 isheat insulation 32 which may be of any suitable type. The liner 3!)forms the walls of the food storage compartment. The front wall of thecabinet 20, around the compartment door opening is preferably faced bytrim strips or by so-called breaker strips 34 of low heat conductivematerial, such as a phenolic plastic material, connecting the outercasing and the liner. These breaker strips 34 are retained in channels35 formed in the casing of the cabinet front wall. The door 22 carries arubber sealing member 36 on the inner side thereof, arranged to engagethe outer surface of the cabinet casing 28 around the door opening whenthe door is closed so as to seal the food storage compartment. Inhanging the door 22 care must be taken that the hinges 26 are properlyplaced to insure that the door seal engages the cabinet outer wallsurface properly around the entire periphery of the seal.

The door 22 comprises, an outer metal casing 38 and an inner facingpanel 40. Insulation 42 is preferably disposed between the door casingand its inner facing panel which insulation may be of any suitable type.The door casing 38 has an inturned flange 44 around its periphery towhich the facing panel 46 may be secured by screws 46 which also clampthe rubber seal 36 to the door, between the facing paneland the doorcasing flange 44. Preferably, the door casing flange 44 is provided withan inturned edge portion 48 to stiffen the flange.

My improved hinge 26 includes a pair of hinge leaves 50, 5| and a pintle52. The hinge leaves 50, 5| have the usual notched, interfitting hingeends to receive the pintle 52 for pivotally connecting the hinge leavestogether. The hinge leaves each have a wall abutting vertical edge 53and a knuckle edge opposite the wall abutting edge. The leaf edge 53 isformed with an angle-like recess 55 complementary with the outer cornerof the door casing 38. These hinge leaves 50 seat against the corner ofthe door and are held tightly thereto by screws 54 which screwthreadinto a nut or angle backing member 56 fitting complementary with theinner corner of the door casing 38. In hinge leaf 50, apertures forscrews 54 extend through leaf edge 53 and the knuckle edge and the headsof the screws 54 are located at the knuckle edge between the hingeknuckles for ready accessibility. Further the screw heads are seatedflush to avoid interference with knuckles of the other hinge leaf 5|which overlies and conceals the screwheads. As shown, the backing member56 is wedge shape and seats against the adjacent sides of the doorcasing 38 adjacent the door corner. This backing member 56 reinforcesthe door at the corner thereof and may be welded or be otherwise securedto the inner side and to the flange 44 of the door casing 38 or thebacking member 56 may be held in place solely by the screws 54. Theother hinge leaf 5| lies fiat against and is attached to the outersurface of the adjacent side wall of the cabinet.

In the corner of the cabinet, adjacent the hinge leaf 5|, I provide areinforcin or looking member 58 for the outer casing 28 where the hingeleaf 5| attaches to the cabinet. This reinforcem'ent 58 is preferably anangle member, to fit complementary with the cabinet inner corner, havingone leg 60 engaging the casing inner side wall and another leg 6|engaging the casing front wall. The angle reinforcement 58 and thecasing may be welded or be otherwise suitably secured together.Positioned to engage flat.

against the inner side of the reinforcement leg 60 is an adjustablehinge clamp 64, the-clamp as and. hinge leaf 5| being drawn togetherinto frictional holding relation with the cabinet wall by screws 66. Inthe cabinet outer casing side wall and in the reinforcement leg 60aligning clearance holes 61, 69 are provided for the screws efi so thatthe clamp 64 and the hinge leaf 5| may be adjusted to proper positionfor best results in hanging of the door. The reinforcing angle member 58also serves as a holder or retainer for the clamp 64. To this end, theclamp 64 is provided with notches 10 in one side edge thereof to receivetabs H formed out of the reinforcement leg 60, the tabs fitting looselyin the notches 10 to permit limited adjustment movement of the clamp ina vertical plane. Other tabs 12 are formed out of the reinforcement leg6| and are bent over the clamp at the opposite side edge from the tabsH, the tabs Hand if being in vertical spaced relation as shown in Figure5.

'Inihanging the door 22, the hinge leaves 56 may first be mounted onthe'door and rigidly securedv thereto by tightening down the screws 54.The cooperating hinge leaves 5| are then attached to the side wall of.the cabinet and one or more of the screws 56 of each of these hingeleaves. 5| are tightened down just sufficiently to hold the hinge leavesin place. The door 22 is then positioned to interfit the hinge leavesiil, 5| and the pintles 52 are'inserted pivotally conmeeting the leavestogether. The door m'aynow be held in closed position and adjustment ofthe position of the hinge leaves 5| may be made to efiectproper seatingof the door seal along its entire periphery against the cabinet frontwall after which the screws 66 are tightened down rigidly securing thehinge leaves to the cabinet. 'By' reason of the large clearance holes 69in locking member 60 and the similarly large clearance holes 8! incasing'28 to receive the screws 66, it will be seen that the positionsof clamp and'hinge leaf 5| may be shifted some to obtain proper seatingof the door seal against the face of the cabinet. When the desiredposition is attained, screws 66 are tightened to secure the hinges tothe cabinet. In each of the present hinge leaves there are three holesfor the screws 66 and a fourth hole for a locking screw '55. Using thesaid fourth hole as a guide, a hole is provided in the casing 28 forthreaded engage-- ment with looking screw l5 which is then tighteneddown and functions as a stop to prevent movement of the hinge relativeto the easin 28. Thescrew Z5 shown is of such length as to require theprovision of a clearance hole therefor in clamp 65, as shown forexample, more clearly in Fig. 7.

From the foregoing it will be noted that I have provided a fiat-likepiano type hinge which adequately supports the door in addition to thearrangement for aligning the door originally. Preferably the hingedleaves are made of extruded aluminum. By utilizing a fiat type hinge theoverall width of the refrigerator is only slightly increased and bysecurin one leaf to the corner of the door the gasket seal is notdisturbed and the hinge rigidly supports the door without a wide andexpensive leaf on the door.

Although only a preferred form of the invention has been illustrated,and that form described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilledin the art that various modifications may be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of theappended claims.

I claim:

1. In a door hinge for attachment to a wall corner, a hinge leaf havinga Vgrooved edge complementary to the wall corner and having a knuckleedge opposite the grooved edge, a plurality of spaced aperturesextending through said leaf from one of said edges to the other, aplurality of screws in said apertures to secure said leaf to said wallcorner and having heads flush with said knuckle edge, said screw headsbeing disposed between adjacent knuckles,'and a knuckle edge of a secondhinge leaf interfitting with said first knuckles and concealing saidscrew heads.

2. In a door hinge for attachment to a refrigerator cabinet having acasing, a hinge leaf to position against the outer surface of thecasing,a clamping strip to position within the casing in superimposedrelationship to said hinge leaf, a retainer strip interposed betweensaid clamping strip and said casing, a plurality of apertures in saidhinge leaf aligning respectively with apertures in said clamping stripand with apertures in said retainer strip, said retainer strip looselysupporting said clamping strip for movable adjustment of the latter,screws extending through said apertures and screwthreaded into saidclamping strip, said retainer strip-apertures and casing apertures beinglarger than the other apertures to allow adjustment of the position ofsaid hinge leaf prior to tightening the screws, another aperture throughsaid hingeleaf aligning with a clearance aperture in said retainer stripand with a smaller aperture in: said casing, and a locking screw in saidlast-named hinge leaf aperture to screwthread into the casing to lockthe hinge leaf in adiusted'position.

3. In a door hinge adapted to attach a refrigerator door member to awall memberof a refrigerator cabinet, said hinge having a leaf formedwith an edge to abut one of the members and a knuckle edge opposite saidfirst edge, a pair of spaced knuckles on said knucklei edge, an aperturein said. leaf extending through both of said edges, a screw in saidaperture holding said leaf to said one member and having a; head at saidknuckle edge between the knuckles, .a second hinge leaf attached to the.other of'said members having a knuckle edge with the knuckles thereofinterfitting with the knuckles of said first leaf, and a pintle receivedin the interfitting knuckles of said leaves.

4. In a 'door hinge adapted to attach a refrigerator door member to awall of a refrigerator cabinet, said hinge having a leaf formed with anedge to abut one of the members'and a knuckle edge opposite the firstedge, a plurality of spaced knuckles on said knuckle edge, an apertureextending through said hinge leaf having one end open at said first edgeand the other end open at said knuckle edge between said spacedknuckles, a plurality of screws respectively extending through saidapertures to secure said leaf to said one member and having headssubstantially flush with said knuckle edge, a second hinge leaf having aplurality of knuckles interfitting with said first knuckles andconcealing said screw heads, and a pintle received in said interfittingknuckles pivotally connecting said leaves together.

' MARTIN J. GOULOOZE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

Number 15 Number 6 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Fells Aug. 4, 1908McKinley July 13, 1920 Wallace Jan. 24, 1922 I-finkle July 24, 1923Marshall Mar. 29, 1927 Marshall July 5, 1927 I-Iiser Sept. 23, 1930Soloman Jan. 14, 1936 Phelan Sept. 29, 1942 Bergstrom Oct. 19, 1943FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain of 1910

